This is the Greatest Show
by fabulouschat
Summary: Takashi wants more in his life than just being nothing, and it all changes when he opens up the Shirogane Museum for the unordinary. Here he starts the challenges of people accepting the weird, and becoming the most known showman of all history. Everything changes when people see just how interesting his show becomes. [The Greatest Showman AU] (Klance & Adashi)


The winter air in New York stung of the scent of smoke that the trains puffed out of their engines, making people on the street gag or fan their faces, thinking that somehow that was going to get rid of the air in the city. Horses hooves clicked against the bricked roads as they dragged on the carriages along with them. At the side of the those roads stood a young boy, staring longingly in the store that was full of colorful fabrics and designs. There on a mannequin was a fancy suit. With a red coat and a green button up vest.

Staring down at his shoes, the boy sighed as he noticed that his big toe was sticking out from the decaying fabric. He tried not to wince when his father came running out, two rolls of new fabric in one hand, and grabbing him with other.

"Hurry along, Takashi." he rasped, hurrying them to the train station. "We're going to be late, and if we're late, we don't get paid." Takashi just let himself be dragged at the station came into view. It wasn't long until both men were on the train, rolling down to the countryside of New York. Where mansions towered over the dirt roads and where the most beautiful trees and flowers bloomed, clear from the groggy air that lingered.

Takashi had tuned out of the wheels dragging along the tracks, a small hum filling his hears. It didn't stop his wild heart though. He was going to see Adam. Not talk to him, most likely no. Adam's father would never allow that. Takashi was just the son of a tailor while Adam lived in a higher class where the most important thing in his life would have to be worrying which book he would read next and how to identify the right silverware for his meal. He tried not to care though, in his eyes...Adam was handsome, young and beautiful.

He was so deep in though that he didn't notice the train stop. "Takashi!" his father snapped, grabbing his arm once more to drag him out of the train. "Eyes open boy! I don't have time to make sure you're tip top at every moment in time." Takashi didn't say anything as they stepped onto the wooden station and started their long walk down the dirt road. As they continued to walk, Takashi grinned inwardly as he saw the willow trees appear at the side, the green grass perking up from the ground and swaying to the wind that came from the clear, blue sky.

Taking a deep breath, Takashi welcomed the now clean air into his lungs, relieved that the smell of exhaust had exited the air and was replaced by the smell of strawberries and roses. Adam's large, white mansion soon came into view. Takashi straightened his little dark blue vest and white shirt. Takashi's father let out heavy breaths as they walked up the steps of the mansion, getting ready to knock before he turned to look at his son. "Wipe that muck off you." he scolded, licking his thumb and harshly dragging it across Takashi's cheek. Takashi held in another sigh as his father continued the gesture until he seemed satisfied with the results, and knocked on the door.

A young maid answered, opening the wide wooden door for the two to step in. Mister West was already waiting for them, and Takashi's father didn't hesitate to start his work on tailoring the suit that he had begun for Mister West a week ago. Takashi followed his father's orders, bringing the pin cushion when asked, grabbing extra thread, cutting new pieces of fabric out. In the middle of the process, Adam came out with a book in his hand, sitting down at a chair only a few feet away to start reading. A butler came to stand next to him, just in case Adam didn't understand a word of something that the book was saying.

Gleaming, Takshi gave little glances to Adam as he worked. When he wasn't he saw from the corner of his eye that Adam's eyes would too linger on Takashi for a couple of seconds before returning to the words on the book.

When a minute or two went by without Takashi's father calling him, Takashi slowly picked up a piece of paper, grabbing Adam's attention. As Adam was starting to turn to the page in his book, Takashi tore the piece of paper. Raising an eyebrow in his direction, Adam stopped mid turn to see what the other young boy would do. Puffing out his cheeks, Takashi blew on the paper has hard as he could. Both boys watched as it twirled in the air, and landed on the cat that the West family owned, which puffed up and hiss before running away.

Dropping his book, Adam broke out laughing. Which only made Takashi laugh. "Adam," Mister West snapped. Going quiet, Adam rose from his chair and made his way over to his father, giving Takashi a sad look when he passed.

"Is this how I taught you to behave?" Mister West asked in a strained voice, staring at his son up and down in disappointment.

"Please don't be mad at Adam, sir." Takashi spoke up, hating the way Adam was looking ashamed. "I was the one who had made him laugh."

"Oh?" Mister West paused, turning his attention to Takashi. Raising his hand, he slapped the young boy across the face, causing the young boy to gasp in pain. "Stay away from my son." Mister West spit, taking Adam's hand to take him out of the room. Still feeling the pain on his cheek, Takashi looked helplessly up at his father, tears pricking his eyes. His father stared back with a blank look.

* * *

The sun was starting to hang low in the sky, the late afternoon dragging on and on. Takashi sat in the middle of weeds that sprouted from the sand. The waves of the ocean reaching up for him, but slowly dragged back to its body. _You're a failure_ a voice inside his head hissed. He didn't hear the footsteps of someone behind him until they were sitting right next to him. Lifting his head to see who it was, he was taken aback to see Adam sitting there, giving Takashi a sad look.

"H-how did you get out?" he asked. Turning his head to the sea, Adam tucked a strand of brown hair behind his ear before sighing.

"I snuck out through the window," he admitted. The look of shame was clearly on his face. "My parents are sending me to boarding school." he said after a minute, "I don't know what my future will be…" not knowing what to say, both boys stared out to the horizon.

Gazing back at Adam, Takashi took a deep breath. "I close my eyes, and I can see, the world that's waiting up for me, that I call my own." Getting up, Takashi held his hand out for Adam, who just looked at it dully. Takashi stared intensely at the other boy until he took his hand. Pulling him up, he lead Adam to the woods that were behind the beach. "Through the dark, through the door, through where no one's been before, but it feels like home."

Adam felt like he should ask where they were going, but let Takashi talk to him in a soft, song like voice. Walking through the trees and coloring leaves, they approached a gate that was covered in vines. Letting go of his hand, Takashi started to climb up the fence, stopping when he got to the top to stare ahead with wide, wondering eyes. Following him up, Adam stared on with Takashi as he saw a large, abandoned mansion stand before them. Giving him an excited smile, Takashi jumped the fence, turning around and held out his arms. Jumping down, Takashi leaned forward to engulf Adam into a small hug before grabbing his hand again and running up the step.

"They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy." Takashi laughed, running to one of the walls. "They can say, they can say I've lost my mind. I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy." He pushed through the vines that blocked off most of the wall, disappearing through it. Adam's mouth dropped in shock, then and when a hand shot out. "We can live in a world we design." Taking it hesitantly, Takashi pulled Adam through the hole, making Adam gasp at the sight in front of him.

Hundreds of plants bloomed and leaked through the floorboards, showing that no one has lived there for years. Leading him along, Takashi stuck a match, giving them light to see the wonders that the house held for them. "'Cause every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head, a million dreams are keeping me awake." Takashi sang, spinning around to make the shadows in the room spin with him. "I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one is see, a million dreams is all it's going to take." He stopped and was face to face with Adam. "A million dreams for the world we're going to make." he whispered the last part before kicking open the door behind him.

Entering the next room, which seemed to be a playroom for the previous kids, Adam watched as Takashi continued to sing the words that just seemed to be flowing out of his mouth. "There's a house, we can build, every room inside is filled, with things from far away." he held up a little paper carousel, pushing it to make the animals shadows dance around the room. "The special things, I compile, each one there to make you smile, on a rainy day."

Adam stood in front of Takashi, a tint of pink showing through his tan skin. "I should take you home," Takashi said under his breath, taking a step forward, their bodies almost touching.

"Must you?" Adam almost begged.

Takashi just gave him a sad smile before blowing out the match.

* * *

 _They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy_ the words sang in his mind, Adam staring into the carriage before him, terrified of the things that laid on the dirt road ahead of them. Mister and Misses West silently urged their son into the carriage. _They can say, they can say we've lost our minds_ Adam thought as the door closed. His heart wrenched as he looked over his shoulder to see Takashi dropping Mister Shirogane's fabrics and rolled down his steps as Takashi screamed, "Adam!" running after the carriage only for Mister Shirogane sweeping the boy up in his arms.

"Hush boy," Mister Shirogane hissed in his ear. "If you must, write him a letter. Will that make you shut up?" Takashi looked at his father through teary eyes. That night, he took out a feather, ink, and paper. Writing the words 'Dear Adam' at the top of the paper.

"I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy." sang Takashi to himself as his father laid in the bed behind in, asleep. "Runaway to a world that we design."

* * *

Takashi stood in the streets of New York city once again, his clothes filthy and more mud on his face than there was in years. No one was there to tell him to wipe if off though. No one was there to tell him to even look a little middle class. He stared up at the sky, silently singing the song he had sung Adam the week before he left. _Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head, a million dreams are keeping me awake…_

When Takashi wasn't trying to sell newspapers or hide from the snow that fell from the sky, Takashi visited the old cabin that his father and him spent his new years in, finding the letters at the doorstep that Adam had wrote back to him.

In the letters that Adam and him had exchanged, Takashi told Adam about the adventures he had with Mister Shirogane with his tailoring career. About when Mister Shirogane fell ill and that he was barely breathing to let his heart keep working. About when Mister Shirogane passed away and he still kept the hat that his father always wore. About how he had new adventures of trying to survive on the streets and stay alive with food and water.

He never did tell him about the time where he was walking by the bakery. The baker was distracted by a customer, which Takashi took the chance to grab a loaf of bread and sprint into the next ally. The baker called after him, but didn't run after him. Smiling to himself, Takashi turned the corner, only to run into the baker who punched him to the ground, yanking the loaf of bread out of Takashi's hand before returning to his stand.

Letting out heavy breaths, Takashi tried to ignore the growling of his stomach. Closing his eyes to regain his strength, he opened them again to only see an apple being held up against his face. There before him was the most magnificent woman he had ever seen. She smiled kindly at him. One of her eyes was bigger than the other, her forehead slumping over it. Her nose was shaped weirdly as well, and her smile was almost literally sideways across her face. Taking the apple into his own hands, he opened his mouth to thank her, but she only turned her hunched back, and walked out of the ally. _I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see, a million dreams is all it's going to take...a million dreams for the world we're gonna make._ He thought before he took a small bite of the red apple.

Later that day, with only an apple in his stomach, he opened the letter that had been laying outside his old doorstep that morning. "To my dearest Takashi," he read to himself, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Come join the great American railroad!" a voice called out, breaking Takashi's attention. "Three meals a day! A roof over your head! Good wages and fairness. Make your fortune, see the great plains of America. Greatness awaits you! Join us now!" A man continued, waving around flyers to the small group of people who watched him. Staring down at himself, he wasn't impressed by the way he looked with the clothes he had been wearing for the past six months looked. He walked up to the man anyways, taking a flyer, reading it over and looking back up at the man.

"Got room for one more?" he asked.

The man smiled down at him. "You know it, kid."

* * *

Years had passed, and the early beginning of fall had started. The trees around the young man had turned their familiar reds and oranges, the only things remaining green was the grass and the shrubs. Dirt scraped up on his feet with every step, taking his hat off, Takashi smiled happily at the mansion he had to lean his head back to look at when younger. Knocking at the door, Mister West answered, wrinkling his nose at the sight of the man in front of him.

Takashi was expecting that reaction. He was in nicer clothes than the last time Mister West had saw him, and a patch of white hair hung over his forehead, making it obvious against his original hair color, black. While away on the railroad, the man in charge thought he would make Takashi more interesting with a little bit of white in his hair, and it had stuck to him ever since.

Bowing his head at Mister West, the words tumbled from his mouth. "Sir, I know I don't come from much, but I will take care of your son and give him a life as grand as this one." He said with a breathless smile. Then there behind him descended Adam from the stairs. A dark blue very over a white shirt, with dark blue dress pants. His beautiful mocha skin gleamed with the colors, and his brown eyes gleaming through his glasses. Giving Misses West a kiss goodbye, he walked up to Takashi.

"He'll be back." Mister West smirked, "Sooner of later, he will tire of your life and come home." he chuckled to himself. Adam pushed past his father, giving his suitcase to Takashi's outreached hand. They walked away from the house that Adam had grew up in, laughing to themselves, walking away free at last.

"You changed your hair," Adam said, reaching up to stroke the white strands out of Takashi's face.

"Indeed I did." Takashi smiled fondly at Adam, whose arm was linked to his. They walked all the way to the wooden trainstation and boarded the train that was heading to New York City. Takashi saw his past self getting off the train next to his father, who stood too proud next to him before they walked together side by side down the dirt road to reach the West's House. Adam squeezed his arm, making Takashi look at his love.

"We're doing it," Adam said, barely being audible over the train starting, groaning as its gears moved to go down the rails. "We're going against my father's wishes." He laughed nervously as the surrounding areas became a blur as the train moved.

"And I couldn't be happier." Takashi kissed Adam on the nose as they watched the train move. When the train stopped at the cities station, he intertwined his fingers with Adam as they walked off the train and down the brick streets. Takashi stopped in front of a restaurant, people drinking wine and eating a fancy meal through the window. Snickering at the site, Adam tugged Takashi along, shaking his head.

"Pay no mind, I'd rather dance with you than be in there." Adam said, pushing his body against Takashi's. Takashi took a step back though, earning a hurt look from the man in front of him.

"Adam," he said, getting down on one knee and taking out a ring from his pocket. It was a golden band with a singular, tiny diamond encased in the band. "This was my father's ring, and he used to tell me with the one he loved, he found all his dreams in it. You've given me a million dreams for the world I want to make. I want to make the world with you." He took a deep breath, brown eyes melting into grey ones. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Adam cried, kissing Takashi in the street. Slipping the band on Adam's left ring finger, they ran up to the apartment that Takashi had been living in.

Opening the door, Adam sighed happily as he spun around the room. "However big, however small, let me part of it all." He held Takashi's hands, giving them a kiss at the top half. "Share your dreams with me...you may be right, you may be wrong, but say that you'll bring me along." Stepping forward and back, the two men started dancing. Takashi spun Adam before pressing his chest against the other as Adam continued to sing. "To the world you see, to the world you close your eyes to see, you close your eyes to see."

"Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head.

"A million dreams are keeping me awake…"

"A million dreams, a million dreams."

"I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see, a million dreams is all it's going to take, a million dreams of the world we're gonna make." they both sang loudly. Bumping their foreheads together, they both whispered in unison. "For the world we're gonna make…"

The moon was in the sky, and the night was darker than ever. Never did Takashi expect for a knock at the old door to wake him up. He untangled himself from Adam, who continued to sleep in the bed tiredly, not making a sound at Takashi moving.

* * *

Slowly opening the door, Takashi stood there confused for no one was there. He looked down both sides of the apartment building hallway. A stifled sigh came from the floor. There laid a baby boy in a weaved basket.

* * *

The sounds of papers shufflings and the clicks of a the typewriters filling the air made Takashi shift uncomfortably. His eyes lulled at the slips of paper that were in his hand. An exact replica of the same ones scattered across his desk. He helplessly looked up out the window. There stood a graveyard, going on for miles as tombstones filled up the wide grass areas.

Was this really his life now? Being stuck in a building with a bunch of other people who didn't know what to with their lives, typing away to their typewriters until death took them from the face of the planet? The thought pained Takashi. Oh to be young again. It seemed only yesterday he had asked Adam to marry him after years of writing love letters to each other. The money that Takashi earned though didn't help the couple move out of the apartment that they originally lived in, having two extra mouths to feed made it hard.

He never regretted taking in Conrad the night that he was left at his doorstep. Nor did he regret taking in Heston who him and Adam found crying in a cardboard box on a snowy night under a park bench. He loved his boys to death. Conrad was now twelve and Heston was almost ten. They were growing up to be beautiful boys, who had great thoughts and an amazing imagination in their heads. He only wished he could give them more.

A door from the meeting room opened behind him, making Takashi get to his feet. It was the the board director, and he was making his way up through the aisles, his attention at the paper in his hands. Trailing after him, Takashi tried to speak up. "Sir, my name is Takashi Shirogane, I have some ideas for the trade we are making with China." he said slowly, the man paid no attention, ignoring everything that Takashi had just said.

Turning on his heels, the man stared past Takashi and to the people who were in front of him, working away still. "Men," he called out, grabbing everyone's attention. "You've been dismissed."

"D-dismissed?" Takashi stuttered, shocked. "W-what about the trade? Hasn't it been keeping us up? With all the trade ships I thought-"  
"Our trade is now in the ocean. They all sank" the man mumbled. "We have gone bankrupt. Go home." he said the last part loud enough for everyone to hear before he walked away out the door. Feeling pale and numb, Takashi walked over to his desk, accepting a cardboard box that was handed to him to put all his things in. He stuffed in all his papers on the desk, his books, is folder, and a tin device with a bunch of holes in it.

Now we are truly doomed he thought dreadfully as he walked out into the street. It was already early evening, and the sun had begun to rest on the horizon. He plus his other coworkers made their way home to their families to tell them the news. His apartment building wasn't too far away from where he worked. Well...had worked. He forced himself up the flight of stairs to get to his apartment. When he opened the door, no one was in the room.

Takashi winced at the sounds of the ceiling releasing another drop of water in a tin bucket, tried to ignore the wallpaper peeling and the room that he and Adam slept in were full of toys and little trinkets of things that Conrad and Heston had collected, for it was now their room. He moved aside the blankets and pillows that were scattered across the couch to set down the box.

He knew exactly where everyone was, he just didn't know if he wanted to see them or not. How could he tell them he was no longer with a job, no longer with a way to provide for them. Sooner or later though, he had to tell them. He rather it be sooner than later, so they could figure it out.

He went back into the hallway of the apartment building and continued to climb the stairs until they came to a stop at the top. The roof. He could already hear giggling and squeals. Adam was there in a white dress shirt and jeans, shooting his hand guns to the boys who let out laughs of excitement. Both boys wore little shorts that stopped right above their knees with their shirts tucked in. Conrad was in a dark purple shirt while Heston was in a light green. Surprisingly enoughs, the two boys they adopted looked highly similar to him and Adam. Conrad had pitch black hair with very pale skin, but it made up for his chocolate colored eyes which you could get lost into. Heston on the other hand, had a tan, not as dark as Adam's, but still visible with dark brown hair and green eyes.

Standing straight, Adam chuckled to himself as he pulled out another sheet to hang. Touching his shoulder lightly, Takashi breathed out a small greeting.

Squeaking at the sudden contact, Adam relaxed realizing it was his husband. "You're home early." he smiled as he hung up the sheet.

"Sadly until further notice." Takashi sighed, handing Adam the sheet of paper.

Glancing over it, Adam shrugged as he placed it in his pocket. "That job didn't suit you anyways."

"Well, neither does any job apparently." Takashi huffed, helping Adam hang the next sheet up.

"It's what makes our whole life exciting though, don't you think?" Adam gave an encouraging smile, which just made Takashi upset.

"Adam, this isn't the life I promised you…"

The said man blinked in surprise. "But I have everything I could ever want."

"What about magic?" Takashi asked, running a hand through his hair.

"What do you call our two boys?" Adam gestured to their sons running around, tumbling to the floor as they play fought. Wrapping an arm across his husband's waste, he called out to the boys. "Look who decided to come in early."

"Daddy!" both yelled, no longer focused on who was the strongest. Running up to Takashi, the man held out his arms to embrace his two sons.

"Did you bring the present?" Conrad asked, his brown eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Present?" Takashi hummed, picking up his eldest to place him on his shoulders. "What present?"

"The one for my birthday!" Conrad laughed as his father spun around.

"It's your birthday?" Takashi gasped, giving Heston a wink. "Is it his birthday, Heston?"

"Oh yes, daddy!" Heston chimed, wrapping Takashi's leg. Setting Conrad down on the ground, Takashi opened a small wooden box.

"Sit down now, for I have brought something quite magical." Takashi said, making both of the boys giggle as they obliged their father. "I have brought something that only the people from the moon have seen-"

"No man has been on the moon yet, daddy." Heston said, making Takashi pause.

"That is true young man, but it was recently discovered by a great astronomer who believes that it is true. Now, I was able to get a little peek at the blue prints, and have succeeded on remaking it…"

He placed the little tin can with the holes in it out of the way to see a candle that was sitting on its little pedestal. Sticking a thin metal rod in the candle, he struck a match to light it and placed the tin can over it. Brining it out from his hiding place, he spun it, making little lights fly across the sheets. The boys got up and watched in amazement. Adam walked over to place a hand on Takashi's back.

He knew Adam was remembering the same moment that he was. When they were in the abandoned mansion, playing in the old playroom, watching the shadows dance with them as well. "Happy birthday, Conrad. Make a wish." Takashi urged. "It's a wishing machine."

Heston leaned in first though, whispering to the spinning machine. "I wish...to marry Santa Claus." making both of their dads laugh.

"That is a very good wish, Heston." Takashi beamed, waiting for Conrad to make his.

Doing the same as Heston did, Conrad whispered into the machine. "I wish...for a fencing sword." Takashi's smiled dropped into a thin line, meeting eyes with Adam.

"That's...a good wish too."

"What do you wish for, Dad?" Heston asked, tugging on Adam's arm. Adam tapped his chin with his other hand. Crouching down to meet their height, he said softly.

"I wish for your father to be happy. And for you, and you." He poked both of their sons noses gently. "Like we all are now." He gave Takashi a small kiss on the lips.

Going back to the flying lights, Cohen opened his mouth and did something that Adam and Takashi never expected him to do. "Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keeping me awake…"

"I think of what the world could be, a vision for the one I see, a million dreams is all it's gonna take." Heston continued on for his brother, tilting his head back.

A million dreams for the world we're gonna make Takashi thought the rest.


End file.
